But fans who expect to see a fighter who headhunts at the expense of MMA’s other disciplines may be surprised on Saturday night when he meets Rich Franklin (25-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) at UFC 115.

Liddell (21-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) is usually the guy to wall-walk when an opponent wants him on his back, and with his heavy hands, that’s often. He’s made a career on counter-grappling and minted the sprawl-and-brawl style.

But his fight style and lifestyle have caught up to him – he has lost four of his past five fights and been knocked out in his most recent two fights – and UFC president Dana White wants him to hang up the four-ounce gloves and work in the UFC office (or any place other than inside a cage throwing punches).

The former UFC light-heavyweight champion is not cut out to grapple with a Xerox machine. He still wants to compete, and he has convinced the UFC president to give him another chance to do so after being publicly retired in April 2009.

That’s why “The Iceman” made it clear on Wednesday that fans could see his other side: a former Division I wrestler and 13-year jiu-jitsu student. It’s a side we saw in December 2007 when he faced Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79 and interrupted punching fireworks with a few double-leg takedowns. It’s a side that will minimize worry that he has lost the ability to take a punch.

“I’ve been working on getting back to what I was doing a long time ago,” Liddell told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com during an open workout in support of the promotion’s first trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. “I think I was a little too one-dimensional.

“It will be a lot of the stuff I’ve been doing a long time and getting back to the stuff I’ve been doing a few years back that I got away from.”

Because he showed up to fight camp in shape, he was able to refine techniques of a plan that presumably will keep Franklin off-balance when they meet.

“We’ve been working (from) Day One on what is working better,” Liddell said. “We can add more stuff onto the game plan.”

Liddell said fans still don’t give him any credit for his ground game, though he hasn’t necessarily given them reason to.

“Contrary to popular belief, I’ve been doing jiu jitsu since [1997],” he said. “I’m pretty decent at it. My submissions aren’t the best, but I’m good at position. I might try something.”

Originally, the ex-champ was set to take on rival Tito Ortiz in a fight he considered a tune-up and indulgence after the two shared some heated camera time on “The Ultimate Fighter 11.” But an Ortiz injury ruled out those plans – the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” recently underwent surgery for bone spurs and nerve damage in his neck – and utility headliner Franklin was installed.

Liddell now faces a colleague instead of an enemy. He said the change further motivated him because he respects Franklin and sees the former middleweight champion as a bigger threat.

“I don’t think you’re going to see the typical Chuck Liddell come out,” Franklin said. “He’s working with some new coaching staff, and I think he’s got some tricks up his sleeve.”

Asked whether those tricks involve shooting a double-leg, Franklin said he is prepared to play the sprawl-and-brawl game.

Both fighters have hinted at their desire for one last run at title glory in the UFC. But Liddell’s stakes are undoubtedly higher given White’s feeling that another KO loss means retirement.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if Chuck decided to attempt some takedowns,” Franklin said. “He’s done it in his last couple fights, especially toward the close of the rounds. I won’t be surprised if I find myself defending the takedown.”

Barry’s fanboy routine is creeping out “Cro Cop”

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (26-7-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC) is in an uncharacteristically good mood going into UFC 115’s co-main event. After an icy opening to his contractually mandated media day appearance on Wednesday, the former PRIDE star opened up in a way he’s never before done with the American media. He finally admitted he doesn’t like to do press, as opposed to the past, when he merely avoided it at all costs.

The reason, he said, is because he wants to focus on his fight and distractions aggravate him. But another thing could be distracting Filipovic in the buildup to Saturday’s fight: the adulation of his opponent.

Pat Barry (5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), a former K-1 kickboxer and Sanshou fighter who late last year lived on ketchup and rice, can’t believe he’s fighting his idol, “Cro Cop.” He has spared no opportunity to tell the press how great his opponent is – even if he might get kicked in the head on Saturday.

At Thursday’s press conference, the gushing continued.

“I don’t know whether I have to use the bathroom or throw up sitting on the stage here right now,” Barry said, adding that he still hasn’t figured out when to ask his idol for an autograph.

“He said that if he is lucky and he wins, he might spend the next two years just sitting and staring out of the window,” said Filipovic, who promised to grant the autograph. “But … if I am lucky and I win with the left head kick, he might also spend the next two years staring out the window – with a nurse beside him.”

That was only one of many jokes Filipovic reeled off. While UFC president Dana White said that the fearsome striker recently has resolved some personal issues in his life, Barry’s fanboy vibe is creeping him out.

“I can tell Mirko’s really uncomfortable with how Pat Barry feels about him,” White said. “I don’t think he’s ever had an opponent talk to him like that.”

The two struggled to keep a straight face during a face-off for photographers following the press conference.

White hinted to MMAjunkie.com that a high-profile fight could be in Filipovic’s future with a win on Saturday. For Barry, it would certainly catapult him up the heavyweight rankings.

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